The spiral slicing of fruits and vegetables such as apples, eggplant, onions, peppers, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, and the like is known to produce an aesthetically pleasing product. Generically, fruits and vegetables which do not require coring, such as potatoes, are sliced into spiral segments by rotating and advancing the fruit/vegetable against a blade assembly.
Samson et al. (Canadian Patent Number 1,225,910) describes an apparatus for helically cutting potatoes which includes a rotating blade assembly, a plurality of inwardly biased fingers for retaining a potato above the rotating blade assembly, and a plunger for forcing the potato retained by the fingers against the rotating blade assembly.
Chambos et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,259 and Canadian Patent Number 1,024,046) describes an apparatus for helically cutting potatoes which includes a portable power drill slidably mounted upon a base for engaging a stationary blade assembly positioned at one end of the base. In operation, a potato is rotatably supported between a set of prongs retained within the collar of the drill and an axial pin extending from the center of the blade assembly, the potato is rotated by the drill, and the potato manually advanced against the stationary blade assembly.
Ross (U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,868) describes a hand operable utensil for helically cutting vegetables which includes a base having a shaft threadably engaged at one end and a blade assembly engaged at the other end. In operation a potato is supported on the distal end of the shaft and simultaneously rotated and advanced against the blade assembly by rotation of the shaft.
German Patents Numbers 3,046,923 and 3,708,264 describe hand operable utensils for spirally cutting fruits and vegetables. The utensils include a shank threaded along the distal end for producing an axial advance into the fruit/vegetable and a blade extending transversely from the shank for cutting the fruit/vegetable as the utensil advances through the fruit/vegetable.
Mullender (U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,111) describes of spiral slicing of a potato by rotating the potato against a tensioned wire(s).
Cupper et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,927) describes an appliance for dicing onions which includes a rotatable blade assembly having both vertical and horizontal blades and an independently rotatable hopper above the blade assembly. Operation of the appliance includes the steps of (i) placing an onion in the hopper, (ii) rotating the blade assembly against the lower surface of the onion so as to score the onion in a first direction with the vertical blades, (iii) rotating the hopper so as to lift and rotate the onion 90.degree. with respect to the blade assembly, (iv) continuing rotation of the blade assembly to score the onion in a second direction with the vertical blades transverse to the first direction, and then (v) removing the twice scored portion of the onion with the horizontal blade.
Similarly, fruits and vegetables which require coring, such as apples, are sliced into spiral segments by coring the fruit/vegetable with a coring blade, such as a tube sharpened at one end, and then rotating and advancing the cored fruit/vegetable against a slicing blade assembly.
Pease et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,469) discloses a machine for spirally slicing previously cored apples which includes a means for holding an apple in a stationary position, a disc with a radial cutting blade, and a motor for rotating the disc relative to the stationary apple.
Tichy et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,266) discloses a machine for circularly slicing and then coring apples which includes (i) a series of transversely spaced, arcuate blades, (ii) a rotatable table for rotating apples retained along the periphery of the table into engagement with the series of blades, (iii) a rotatable fork for rotating the apples engaged by the blades so as to complete a circular cut along the periphery of the apples, and (iv) a reciprocable coring tube with a sharpened upper end for coring the sliced apples.
Altman (U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,712) discloses a machine for coring fruit, such as grapefruit, which includes a reciprocating and rotating coring tube with a sharpened end.
Durand Jr. et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,517) discloses a machine for coring pimento peppers which includes a plurality of reciprocating and rotating coring tubes having a sharpened end.
Kirkpatrick (U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,183) discloses a machine for paring and coring fruits and vegetables which includes a motor with a tapered tap and a blade mounted on the distal end of the drive shaft.
Erekson et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,847) discloses a machine for simultaneously slicing and coring apples which includes a cluster of radially extending reciprocable blades for slicing the apples into a plurality of wedges and a rotatable and reciprocable knife retained within a protective sheath for coring the apples.
While generally effective for helically slicing or slicing and coring fruits and/or vegetables, previous devices such as those summarized above are generally awkward, cumbersome, messy, and/or expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, a need exists for an appliance which can quickly, easily, cleanly and efficiently slice and/or core fruits and vegetables into spiral segments.